Episode 1446: How Not to Behave
Date October 22, 2019 Summary Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller banter about their playoff livestreams, the Yankees’ ALCS defeat, why pitchers are allowed to demand new baseballs, and pulling a catcher from the game when a team is leading, then discuss Sports Illustrated reporter Stephanie Apstein’s report about the post-ALCS behavior of Astros assistant GM Brandon Taubman, the Astros’ response to that report, the response to that response, and why the Astros’ actions seem so reprehensible and signify pervasive problems. Then they close with ruminations on minimum innings, postseason swing rates, the World Series as a showcase for free agents, the postseason performances of and offseason outlooks for Anthony Rendon, Gerrit Cole, and Stephen Strasburg, and more. Topics * Brandon Taubman's locker room comments to female reporters * Astros' response to Stephanie Apstein's report * Fallout from the Roberto Osuna trade * Social media response to the Astros' statement * Ongoing issues with the Astros' front office reputation * Clubhouse culture and player support * Postseason swing rates * Extended rest for Nationals' pitchers * Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, and Stephen Strasburg in the World Series * World Series start times Intro Jenny Lewis, "Bad Man’s World" Outro Margo Price, "Don’t Say It" Banter * Ben and Sam discuss their Patreon live stream during ALCS game 6, Sam is unsure if he should be repeating things that he said. Another stream is planned for World Series game 3. * ALCS game 6 and Yankee fan reaction * Should the Yankees have walked Jose Altuve in game 6? * Sam highlights how often Gerrit Cole requests a new ball from the umpire and wonders whether it should be allowed for pitchers to reject the ball. * Pulling your catcher when you have the lead Notes * Compared to the regular season there has been a 4.5% increase in the postseason in swing rate on pitches outside of the strike zone. Pitches in the strike zone have a similar swing rate. * Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, and Stephen Strasburg are all clients of Scott Boras. * Sam contends that since June 1st any two consecutive starts by Gerrit Cole are the caliber of a World Series MVP. The worst two starts he can find were when Cole pitches 12 2/3 innings, gave up 5 runs, walked 3, and struck out 28. * At the end of the episode Ben briefly discusses why the show had an extended response to the Taubman comments but not to the allegations made earlier in the season against Jonah Keri. Ben notes that Keri was arrested and formally charged in addition to the widespread response from his employers, and he did not think further response from the show was warranted. In contrast, the Astros' initial response was to deny any wrongdoing by Taubman and accuse Sports Illustrated of fabricating a story.\ Links * Effectively Wild Episode 1446: How Not to Behave * Astros Staffer's Outburst at Female Reporters Illustrates MLB's Forgive-and-Forget Attitude Toward Domestic Violence by Stephanie Apstein * Houston Chroniclestory about Taubman * Witnesses confirm SI report of Astros exec Brandon Taubman yelling at female reporters about Roberto Osuna by Jake Kaplan * The Cost of Complacency? by Ben Lindbergh * We’re About to Witness the Best Collection of World Series Pitching Talent Ever by Zach Kram * The 2019 World Series Will Be a Spectacular Free-Agent Showcase by Ben Lindbergh Category:Episodes